4evaQuez

I agree with you; however, please let me offer a different perspective. I have no issue with Issa's friends not offering their contacts. I'm a strong believer of keeping your professional and personal lives separate. However, I do have issues with her friends attempting to subconsciously sabotage her efforts. 1. Tasha giving too much alcohol away as a bartender. Drunk people may give more money, but people also quickly leave once libations are gone, and Issa does not have the finances nor the resources to get alcohol for her hopeful donors. It can also look badly on Issa if she runs out of resources because that is representative of her management skills, and I don't care how much comic relief Tasha is as a character, I refuse to believe she would accept that behavior at her own event or recreate that behavior at Molly or Tiffany's event. 2. Molly wanting to talk to Issa about Andrew at her work event. Again, not the time, not the place. Issa was obviously distracted, nervous and in business mode. I, again, refuse to believe Molly would accept that behavior from Issa, or anyone. 3. And probably the most egregious, Issa's brother playing My Neck, My Back. Self explanatory. I'm okay with people not offering contacts or even finding less intrusive ways to provide help, but once you use that help to try to sabotage your friend's or sister's efforts, I must question your motives for being in that person's life.

In Cynthia's first season, she and her mom spoke about Cynthia growing up in an abusive household. Her dad abused her mom. I think Cynthia has normalized abusive behavior and may even crave it in her intimate relationships (NeNe, Kenya, Peter and I have my suspicions about Mike). That being said, I also found it kinda sad how genuinely happy Cynthia was by Porsha and Tanya's surprise. I don't know, something about it seemed like she was surprised that people would do something genuinely nice for her with no expectation of reciprocation. I know Kenya bought Cynthia 4 bottles of wine later, but that seemed like classic abuser behavior. I'm going to publicly cut you down with my words and follow up with a nice gesture to keep you emotionally confused and unbalanced. Porsha seemed to genuinely want to care for Cynthia. That being said, while Cynthia and Porsha's relationship has never been focused on, I do always like their interactions. Kenya, Kenya, Kenya...gosh she makes it so hard to root for her. She is the physical manifestation of "Hurt people hurt people" and every other saying, meme, limerick, fairy tale and oral narrative about the dangers of allowing people with unhealed trauma in one's life. I am not a therapist, but I do think Kenya loves Cynthia the best way she knows how. However, sometimes I wonder if Kenya sees Cynthia as a replacement mom. Cynthia has a lot of motherly qualities, kind, patient, attentive, a good listener - and before NeNe interrupts me with her "CYNTHIA IS NOT PERFECT" spiel - Cynthia is also passive, goes along to get along and silent in the face of disrespect for the people she loves. I wonder if Kenya simultaneously gets the absent love of her mother from Cynthia while also punishing Cynthia with the anger and resentment she must have for her mother. I know I may be reaching, but this season, and this episode especially, there was something intimately sinister about the way Kenya attacked and then soothed Cynthia, and Cynthia response leads me to believe that this is a regular occurrence in their relationship. I would say NeNe needs intense therapy, but we've already seen her verbally eviscerate the last therapist that tried to hold her accountable for her actions (did she ever get his licence taken away like she threatened). Look, Kenya is a terrible person, and I understand why she can bring out the worst in people. However, throwing nuts, wishing assault (I thought NeNe said she learned from her horrific behavior after wishing rape on people), getting out of her chair (again NeNe isn't that why you said Kenya deserved to get her ass beat during Pillow Talk). I've watched this show since the first season (I swear I'm productive in my real life), but I have never seen Kenya do anything to NeNe that deserves this level of vitriol. I think Kenya speaks to a broken part of NeNe that actually has nothing to do with Kenya. I just don't believe you have have that level of hatred for a coworker who for years was trying to be your friend. Porsha and Phraeda hating Kenya...I get. NeNe....needs to sit in a corner with her pain and tears.

So I just finished Season 5. I have to say while I found Season 4 more entertaining, I found Season 5 easier to watch. I think it's because besides from a major plot points, I've forgotten most of what happened in Season 5, so it at least seemed new even if it wasn't the most entertaining. I remembered that Season 5 was a major bloodbath for the vet characters, but Jo, Jane, Kimberly, Jake, Allison and Sydney was a brutal loss for the show, and quit frankly, I didn't find any of the new characters half as interesting. I felt Taylor started off with promise, but they lost their way with her sometime around she got with Peter and he attempted to make her Beth. What's more disheartening is that Jane is the only character that got any sort of farewell. Jo leaves and only Matt and Amanda seem to know. No one else EVER mentions Jo's absence. Kimberly dies and only Amanda mentions it in passing to Kyle. So Kyle and Meagan get more screen time to acknowledge Kimberly's death than Sydney who feuded with her most of her run or the characters that nearly died in the explosion. Any Allison would have been appropriate considering she was blinded as a result of Kimberly. But no. This never happens. While I was never much of a Billy/Allison fan, I must admit I found their airport goodbye touching. Courtney Thorn-Smith did a wonderful job with the goodbye and I could honestly relate to Allison feeling like she needed to get far away from Melrose Place to start over. While Allison was never my favorite, Melrose without her doesn't feel like the same show. I actually think she was the heart of the show, and again, this is from someone who isn't a huge Allison fan. I hate that the show wasted Craig for most of the season. He and Amanda did not work and I did not like this rivalry they tried to create with him and Peter. But Craig and Sydney were pure GOLD! I remember loving them during the original run of the show, but I had no idea their relationship was so short lived. Their FIRST interaction is in episode 28 out of 33 episodes. Even still, they provided my favorite scene of the season. When Craig and Sydney inform Amanda that Sydney now works for DandD and there's nothing Amanda can do to get rid of her. Amanda walks off in a huff and Craig and Sydney high five each other. SWOONS! They were so perfect, and they could have been hellraisers together for Season 5. Also I always love when two damaged people who nobody loves find love in each other. Speaking of Sydney vs. Amanda was such an underrated rivalry. I honestly didn't remember the two going at it, but their beef and tension increasingly rises from season 2 onward. Even small scenes of them just bumping into each other at the mailbox or the pool see them slinging verbal daggers with both giving as good as they got and it just increases from there. Even their brief stint as roommates in Season 4 was pure gold. The two actresses worked wonderfully together, and I wish we could have gotten a DandD vs Sky High in Season 6. Lastly, I found myself just as angry at Sydney's death 20 years later as I was the first time I watched it. For once, I wanted to see Sydney get her happy ending; however, maybe unintentional, I did notice a theme of the bad girls dying - Brooke, Kimberly and Sydney - while the good one get to just leave. I'm not sure if that was intentional but I still will Brooke and Sydney could have left the show alive. I'm debating if I want to continue watching. I hate Sam for killing Sydney - to be fair, I found her boring even before that. I've never liked Matt or Billy and I find Kyle the very definition of annoying, superfluous and a waste of time. Hmmm...I try to watch a few episodes, but ugh.

So I'm currently rewatching Melrose Place, and I've made it to Season 4 right after Brooke's ghost possesses Billy. I haven't watched this series since it's original broadcast back in the 90's and I have a lot of thoughts regarding seasons 2-4. I refused to watch season 1 as I remember hating it. 1. Although still enjoyable, season 4 has lost something that season 2 and 3 had in spades, and I'm not quite certain what that is. With 2 and 3 I couldn't wait to watch the next episode but with season 4, it's been harder for me to give the show my full attention. Some possible reasons for this may include: a. Some characters feel completed isolated from the rest of the cast, i.e. Brooke and Matt. During Brooke's funeral episode, Sydney and Kimberly discuss Brooke's death in the pool, but neither one of them ever shared a scene with her. Jane also talks to Allison about how she (Jane) and Brooke hated each other, but the two only shared one inconsequential scene at Shooters, and this is before Brooke was revealed as the schemer she later became. Brooke also never shares a scene with Matt, yet he attends the funeral, as well. Also, after rewatching the series, I realized Brooke is the first major character death on the show. b. Some characters seem to have no purpose on the show, and the show is visibly struggling to find a purpose for them, i.e. Jane, Jo and Jake. So the show creates this random Jane vs Jo rivalry that goes no where. Then the two just magically make up after Jane accuses Jo of drugging her and causing her stroke and then the two are at odds again for no apparent reason. Jason's paralysis goes no where and is promptly forgotten about. And the RIchard/Jane partnership just kinda dissolves. Granted even in seasons 2 and 3 there were storylines that seemed to be there just to take up time, but this involves three major characters who seem to be just treading water. Also, how far has Jo fallen? Season two she is spunky, street smart, scrappy and intuitive. However, after Reed, Kimberly stealing her baby and Jake's brother, she just has no fight in her anymore. Jane punches her, and she just falls on the ground bleeding. Richard and Jo were also a horrible couple. c. I'm not sure why some of the storylines are happening at all. Mainly Amanda and Bobby Parezi. All of it! Even bringing Sydney into that storyline gave it no life whatsoever and the show exited Sydney out of that sinking ship just as quickly. Rewatching the series, Amanda has a pit bull's bark with a mosquito's bite. Amanda is good for some funny one liners, but she is constantly being blackmailed, duped, tricked and given orders by other characters. Hell Allison and Billy are constantly talking Amanda into something she initially doesn't want to do and changing her mind. She's also the first to forgive Kimberly after the apartment bombing. And I really don't understand her great friendship with Billy. There is literally not one secret he has ever kept for Amanda up to this point. He even blabbed about her cancer to Allison and her abusive husband to Peter. Two people she was not on good terms with at the time. The only time she is an effective schemer is when Allison is president of D and D, and quite frankly, she, and Allison, worked much better as rivals in those respective roles. Speaking of, does D and D only ever have 3 clients. Lindy Toys, Glorious Gowns and whomever is dating or pursuing Allison or Amanda that particular episode. Lastly, it's funny that my opinion on certain characters has not changed at all. I still love Sydney. I hate Jane, Billy and Matt. And I'm in awe at how physically aggressive the male characters, including the good ones, are with the female characters. Anyway about to finish up season 4.

Passions was exceptionally silly, campy and more a satire of the soap genre than an actual soap itself. I think Charmed would have been more like Port Charles. There still would be a strong focus on the Haliwell family and its legacy, the sister's dynamic, but there would be more focus on other witch/warlock families as well. In that sense, I think the show would focus more on how these families have battled and partnered with each other for centuries to protect the world.

Wow! I honestly never thought about that, but that would have been a marvelous storyline for Charmed to tackle. As someone who is "different" with parents who just wanted to "fit in" it definitely would have resonated with me, and I think could have spoken to the parents watching Charmed. How parents do things to keep their kids "safe" but ultimately do more harm to the kids than just allowing them to explore themselves. Instead of the episode - since they dropped it almost immediately - where Chris doesn't want to get close to Piper because of her death, I would have loved if the show could have explored the resentment Chris feels for forcing him to be like everyone else when he wanted to embrace what made him unique. Unfortunately, I think it is too sophisticated a storyline for later seasons Charmed. As for the second bolded part, THANK YOU!!! I never understood why Piper complained so much about wanting to be normal. Normal humans were attacked by demons, cursed by witches, haunted by ghosts, and sometimes even trapped in hell dimensions (more Buffy than Charmed) all the time. I never understood why Piper would willingly give up a wonderful defensive power like Freezing when she knows she and her kids could be a victim at any moment. I especially didn't understand it since sometimes the show would give us dialogue about how a lot of the lower level demons wouldn't even attack the Charmed Ones because of how powerful they are. And now that I think about it, something else that annoyed me about Piper wanting to give up her powers is that even in the Charmed Universe sometimes humans victimized other humans. Prue was stalked, Paige and Henry were held hostage at a bank, Phoebe's future friend was assaulted, and people were still murdered like the father Prue helped in season 2 all by humans. Having powers is what saved them or the innocents or at least is what got them justice. And in Phoebe's future friend case, I assume magic prevented her assault from happening. And Piper nearly died because of a normal, human disease and magic prevented her from dying. Hell, I would even say magic helped Piper to become a more confident person and stronger person - her explosive power seems instrumental to her become a lot more outspoken and with a power where you can literally blow up anything or anyone around you, why would someone not be more bold? Piper's argument made absolutely no sense in the Charmed universe or even in our universe.

I found it unintentionally hilarious that in the same episode where Chloe, Brady and Maggie are talking about the Dimera Mansion being the safest place for Chloe and the kids that the same episode shows Gabi waltzing into the Dimera Mansion undetected. She also did this by simply "charming" her way in even though she's drugged the ex-wife and mother of both of the men who live there. Both men also currently hate her. Chloe would probably be safer in the park where women get drugged and abducted or Horton Town Square were women get shot on their wedding day. Actually, I'm pretty sure the Brady Pub is the safest place in Salem. I can't remember the last time a major crime happened there, if you ignore the propensity for assault in that establishment. I was so happy to see Chloe and Gabi's hair in buns today and to see Jordan's hair in a braid. The hair team on Days creates one look for women and never deviate from it, so it was nice to see something different. I guess someone stayed up late and saw one of those old late night infomercials and decided to spend Day's hair budget for the year on some type of bun and braid creator. Money well spent. As a Chloe fan, it's nice to see the show actually write her as intelligent and observant again. I also like how the show is using her relationship with Lucas as a reasonable internal deterrent for her relationship with Brady. It's so shocking to hear someone on Days say they learned something from a past painful experience. I am also liking Chloe's scenes with Brady and Stefan. They were the highlight for me today. I don't believe that Kate would ever turn her back on someone to call the cops. Hope needs a long break from the show and so does Cin.

During the Eli/Lani scenes, all I could think was how exceptionally white Eli's teeth are. I've been using a teeth whitening kit my dentist gave me for the past month, and my teeth still aren't as white as his. I wonder if him sharing his teeth cleaning regimen could be his next storyline because I would honestly find that more intriguing than whatever he and Lani are doing now. Also, while watching their scenes, I couldn't help but to think how I wish the show would set aside a budget to hide actors' tatoos. Sometimes, I find myself wondering if the tattoos are in character for the character or not. In Eli's case, I honestly don't feel I know him well enough to say either way. I find myself equally distracted in Eric's shirtless scenes. OH! Did Eli and Lani have actual dialogue in the episode, somehow I missed it. Weren't Ciara and Theo still small children when Jordan left the show? I vaguely remember Ciara being sorased during the Necktie Killer storyline, and Jordan was gone by the time that started. It was weird to me to hear Jordan talking about Theo and for Ciara to recognize Jordan, as a result. Also, while I remember liking Amanda on All My Children, I honestly don't feel like the actress has a handle on Jordan. Her scenes with Ciara were not riveting for me at all, and this is already becoming a dull kidnapping. Also, do the writers have some type of bet on how many traumatic events they could put Ciara through before she hits 25. Perpetual Victim Heroine isn't the archetype I was expecting when little Lauren B. was playing a mischievous Ciara not too long ago. I never thought I'll say this, but I hate Hope. She really needs a storyline that has nothing to do with Ciara, Ben or Rafe. Sadly for Hope, that seems to be the only reason she exists. Stefan/Chloe should have happened a year ago. I actually kinda liked their scenes together. More importantly, I wish Stefan was Nicholas Alamain. With Chloe's history with Carly, Vivian, Melanie, Quinn and even Daniel (considering the Daniel/Carly affair), I actually think Nicholas/Chloe could have been an amazing pairing. I also would have loved a different actor playing Nicholas. But since that is make believe and this is reality, I still find myself entertained enough to enjoy the Stefan/Chloe scenes although I don't think Stefan could ever truly be redeemed as a character. Chloe telling the Salem PD that they are too ineffectual to protect her (Chloe is too nice a person to be so blunt, but I know what she meant) was the highlight of the episode for me. I hit the rewind button twice to laugh at that moment. I also love that neither Eli/Lani could have an appropriate retort to Chloe's comment. I know Genie Frances is an extremely popular actress and Luke and Laura the most successful supercouple in Daytime, but I must admit that I've never liked her as an actress. I've found myself really enjoying this recast Diana. She's quickly becoming one of the highlights of the episodes for me.

I'm actually more excited for The Suicide Squad than The Batman. Personally, I hope Gunn keeps Suicide Squad's gangster aesthetic. I think the character redesigns are the one thing Ayer got right, and I would love to see some more villains reimagined with this motif. Yes, I'm including the Joker in this. I love the look of the Joker. That being said for the sequel I'll be happy as long as Waller, Harley, Deadshot and Boomerang return. No one else from the first film seems necessary, and I would love if they could expand Boomerang's role. I would also like to see Giganta and Tattoo Man included in the roster. My only concerns are Gunn's humor and how he will portray the female characters. Granted Ayer wasn't a shining example himself, but I've always hated how Gamora was portrayed, spoken about, the obvious whore house in the second film, or how Gunn portrayed the pink women always on their knees around the male characters. I hope WB/DC/Margot Robbie use their influence to protect Harley's portrayal in this film now that they know how incredibly popular and lucrative she is. Second, I'm concerned about the middle school locker room humor of Gunn. Again, jokes about genitalia and stolen appendages and laserface can stay with the Guardians' films. Beside from those concerns, I am excited to finally see this film dated as I actually love the first Suicide Squad despite its many flaws and hope the sequel can deliver actual quality product.

I'm not a Leo fan, at all, but are we, the audience, suppose to overlook Will/Sonny believing they killed Leo and that's why they are in the situation they are in. They are not the victims that this show and the characters are trying to sell them as. In the grand scheme of things attempted murder is worse than a fake marriage to cover up said attempted murder. I like Diana. She has an 80s soap villainess vibe that brings energy to the screen. Her scene with Marlena was excellent and the highlight of the episode. Chloe and Stefan should have been put together a year ago. While I liked their chem test last year, it feels like the that boat has sailed. A year of the awful Gabby storyline has destroyed any potential Stefan had. I didn't understand the Hope scenes today. 1st, didn't we just have the Ciara is missing and Hope is worried storyline a few months ago. Her suspicions about Ben were even incorporated in both. The flashback seemed almost identical to the current setup. Having Hope say "Ciara is missing again" several times did not help the feeling of dejavu. Also, there's something off about Hope or the actress. I usually love Marlena/Hope scenes, but today I felt nothing. There was no sense of history or years of friendship. I also wasn't sure exactly what she wanted from Marlena. I mean if Marlena knew Ben was a danger to Ciara then that would trump privilege and Marlena wouldn't need Hope to question her to break that privilege. So their scenes just seemed odd with Hope wanted Marlena to....um....what exactly? I found myself more intrigued by Hope apparently lightening her hair color than her actual scenes. I will say this episode at least set up several things that I'm intrigued by: Ciara's kidnapping, Chloe's knife, and Diana and "Roman." I'm keeping my expectations in check, but I hope these storylines go somewhere intriguing.

I agree with both your points. I wrote somewhere on this board - maybe even this thread - that I actually do not like Piper's meltdown at all. Yelling at the sky is such a passive moment for Piper, and she almost immediately gives up. It's well acted and I like the spotlight filming they chose for the scene that was narratively and visually appropriate, but overall, it was not a moment of growth for Piper, at least now in the way I think the writers intended for it to be. I also agree about Alyssa Milano. I think she by far hit her comedic moments the best, and I also love her scene in Long Live the Queen after vanquishing Cole. The only times I did not enjoy her acting was when she was obviously lost in a scene, so she reverted to baby voice. I also think she was the only main actress (Holly, Allyssa, Rose) who was still emotionally present in the 8th season. While I did not necessarily like her storylines that season, she at least didn't seem emotionally disconnected from the show as much as Holly and Rose, imho of course.

I'm usually not someone who thinks soulmate couples have to have a child together, but I was also pissed at that decision. Phloe were wonderful together, and jmho, I think Philip and Chloe had that natural, yearning supercouple chemistry that just needed good writing to truly become a memorable Days couple. Heck, I still remember their steamy scenes after the plane crash or the rivalry with Sami/EJ that the show seemed to be building only to drop. I think one of the things I liked about adult Phloe is that they both were such different people than they were as teens that it almost felt like a new pairing. They had this great mix of tenderness, lust and love that made it always believable when they would find each other in the other's orbit again. Instead they were dumped for Philip/Morgan (yes, I know you completely forgot about that character) and Luloe round 1 and the only good thing that came from that pairing is that it set up the Nicole/Sami baby switch.

Sarah said she's known Eric to be kind, compassionate and wise since they've met. Um, Eric's been angry, violent and obsessive since Nashville. She's witnessed him physically attacking his brother and threatening to murder Xander. Sometimes I question whether I'm watching the same show as the powers that be are writing, because I honestly have no idea why they believe certain things to be true when it is not shown to us the audience. I really don't want to like this version of Broe. I keep reminding myself that Brady is addicted to the idea of being in love and is borderline emotionally abusive to everyone woman he is with. But I'll be lying if I said I didn't see the chemistry between Broe today. Considering the show has never explored their years in Vienna or even Chloe at one point being accused of killing Brady, I actually think these two have a lot of story that could be told. Hell, bring in a recast Philip and there's roughly a year or two of story right there. I like Melinda Trask. I'm know I'm not supposed to, but I love her. Her barking at Haley to stay away from her was definitely the highlight of today's episode. The second was her attack on Jen and Abe. The third was calling JJ a nosy former cop. I know she'll never been taken seriously as a cast member but similar to Anne from a few years ago, I'm just happy to have a character who calls others on their crap. I've already lost interest in Jenn/Eve/Jack. I tried but hearing Jenn give Jack a synopsis of one of their storylines and Jack being surprised quickly lost all entertainment value.

I agree. I would say I hope it isn't true, but the moderator on the other site pretty much confirmed it. I'll hold my thoughts until it's official, but I think it's weird that the show keeps getting rid of NB/Chloe just to bring her back a year or 2 later - I assume she'll return. The character is popular, the actress is popular with fans, and she still has tons of potential as an under 40 character. The people they should get rid of like Brady, Rafe, and Kate somehow are safe. Hmmm... I'll wait for official word to give my true opinion about these rumors.

Chloe/Marlena, Eli/Eric, Will/John, it's always nice to see characters who rarely interact, interact. The first two were inconsequential and the last was more substantial, but it helps to make Salem feel like a small town where everyone actually knows each other. It's also a nice way to test character dynamics and give a synopsis of storylines. I would love to see more of these small scenes. Are Rafe/Rex supposed to be so annoyed with Hope/Sarah. At one point, Rex flat out rolled his eyes at Sarah, and I would say that Rafe was over Hope's protestations but that would imply he cared in the first place. Speaking of Hope, Kristian Alfonso has never been a strong actress, but she still had a likability and charisma to carry storylines. Hope used to be one of my favorite Days characters. But now, I find it difficult to watch her scenes, and her scenes with Rafe today were not well acted...at all. I actually think Hope had a valid point regarding Rafe and Sami, but it was delivered in such a childish, whiney and lackluster manner that it was easy to overlook her valid concerns and rebuttal. I hope they end Rope soon. Hope is/was too important a character for such a terrible pairing to be her swan song. Also, Hope Laurent is such a great, Soap Opera name. I hope we get to officially hear in 2019. Regarding the storyline with Rafe, I'd always wished that the show had made Rafe sterile. For me, it would have explained Rafe's devotion to Sami and his instant family with her, why he was so gung-ho to raise another man's kids including trying to steal two of them (Sydney and Daniel Rafe), choose Sami over his own sister, and why he was always willing to help Sami in her latest scheme against E.J., including helping her cover up shooting E.J. in the head. It would also explain why he feels obligated to help Sami now and why Sami would feel entitled enough (not that she needs an explanation to be entitled) to ask when she knows she caused such derision in his marriage to Hope. However, lacking that storyline development, this is just another example of Rafe's selfishness and why he has never worked in a romantic pairing. Let me repeat, Hope Laurent is such a great, Soap Opera name, I hope we get to officially hear in 2019. I get the feeling that we're supposed to believe that Sarah is acting out of character since Rex cheated on her and this new revelation makes her even more impulsive and destructive. This would work better if we knew her before hand. I like Sarah, but I need them to dial the character and thus the actress down a little bit. Since she's come to Salem she's crusaded against one person or another. Also, it seems the show spends a lot of time focusing on her family members who are not currently on canvas - Noelle, Dan, Dr. Neil Curtis - that they seem to be forgetting to connect her to the family members who are on canvas. I mean, I still don't know the Maggie/Sarah dynamic when she's not yelling at Maggie, unless that is supposed to be their dynamic. There were also three other Hortons on canvas today who she has little to no onscreen relationship with. I want Sarah to work as a character, but I hope the show shifts gears with her. She needs family and friends and Eric is not in either category right now. Also, the most amazing thing about her scene with Rex today were the two people eavesdropping from the bar. They were highly entertained and I bet they have a wonderful story to share at their next dinner party.

I wonder if the show is actually going to acknowledge Eric's growing anger issues and developing propensity to physically assault men who upset him? I know it's not, but I wish it would. Speaking of Eric, Rex said Eric is able to connect with people. I'm not sure if that's ever been true since Greg Vaughn has portrayed the character. To be fair, I don't think any of the younger generation characters seem to connect with others, but Eric definitely does not have that ability. While I would say Marlena definitely does, none of her children seemed to inherit that gift. I can't decide if Kate apologizing to Abby was out of character or not. I initially was surprised and wanted to say it was, but Ron does seem to what to soften her character. I'm not sure why as I don't actually think Kate works as a soft character, but it seems he is. Besides from that, their scene seemed pointless. Lauren Koslow also seems checked out and has seemed that way since the Leo reveal. Speaking of Leo, I know I'm late but since it was still featured in the episode today I thought I would way in on the Leo/Xander will they/won't they. I actually would not want Xander to have sex with Leo. However, I would have no problem and think it was entirely in character for Xander to use Leo's attraction to him to manipulate Leo. I could see Xander intentionally walking around Leo with no shirt and manipulate Leo's marriage to Sonny for Xander's benefit as Leo ogles Xander's body. I could even see Xander being touchy feely with Leo and constantly insinuating things to Leo while not ever delivering. Actually, if anyone remembers the E.J./Will scenes, I could see Xander/Leo like an older version of those two. the E.J./Will actors always portrayed the characters, intentionally or not, as Will being secretly in love with E.J. and E.J. using this to his advantage. I remember one scene in particular where E.J. bends over in front and Wll and places his face near Will's while asking Will to do something nefarious. That dynamic would be just as interesting and fun with Xander/Leo. Next, I had to laugh at Eli's 5 seconds of screentime, and his Walking Dead comment. I know Eli is still relatively new in town, but he should know by now that 80 percent of Salem's resident's have come back from the dead...at least twice. Then again, he's so isolated from the rest of Salem that he probably still hasn't met any of them. The Chloe/Rex scenes were nice. I hope they actually develop into something. Beside from that, I'm ready for February sweeps. While I don't actively hate anything on the show right now, I don't necessarily feel engaged either.

I'm so happy you said this. I thought I was the only person who just felt rather ho hum about Jack's return. For me, once a character has come back from the dead once, if the show kills the character again then the character needs to stay dead. And I do include my favorite characters in this as well. Characters being resurrected 2, 3, 4, etc. times just makes the character feel pointless to me. I wasn't watching during Jack's heyday in the 80s and early 90s, but his last return left absolutely no impression on me, and honestly, even his elevator death didn't move me. I also didn't like Jennifer or Abby around this time, so I just wasn't a Deveraux fan in general at that point. I wish the show had either found a suitable pairing for Jennifer, moved her into some Alice Horton type role or even wrote her and J.J. off as neither contribute very much to the show.

I'm annoyed whenever Sarah talks about being Holly's aunt. Yes, I know biologically this is true, but she had no relationship with Daniel and doesn't seem to have much, if any, relationship with Holly. While I liked this storyline in the beginning, I hope Eric's decision is to just give the child to Chloe, so Chloe can ship Holly to New York never to be seen again until she is a hell raising 17 year old sometime in 3 weeks. While I love Kassie as a person and Blair Cramer Manning was one of my favorite characters on One Life to Live, I hope this Jack storyline is the beginning of her exit. Ron is such a weird writer to me because it's obvious that he wants the Eve character to work, but he undermines the only ties she has to canvas by ending her friendship with Chloe and relationship with Brady. I wasn't even a fan of either of these relationships, but it was the only relationships Eve had to give her some perspective and humanize her, and quite frankly, they were her only ties to the canvas. Eve just feels so pointless on canvas and bringing Jack back from the dead for the (how many times is it now?) dead is doing the opposite of making her a compelling character. Although, I did honestly have hope that it would. I used to be such a huge Chabby fan. Now, I don't care want happens to them. Is the show going out of its way to make sure Kate Mansi and Billy Flynn share as few scenes as possible. I ask because Abby seemed completely pointless to today's episode. Was this a contract obligation episode or did they really need to fill time with the pointless Melinda scene and then the pointless Julie scene? Also, if Abby is so angry with Jennifer, why is she staying in Jennifer's house? I hope next week has more excitement as this week has been rather lackluster.

Or better yet, Dan could have just not been related to anyone on canvas. By the time they did this storyline, Dan had already been on the show for several years, was connected to the Kirakis family, Carly, Kate and Chloe. He was also the best doctor in the entire universe. Similar to John and his 87 origin backstories, at a certain point, a character is rooted enough in the show that he/she is not required to be related to anyone, and these backstories just become meaningless and more detrimental than helpful to the character. Speaking of Summer, I honestly didn't understand why they didn't just bring the actress on as a Melissa recast. Lisa Trusel left sometime in the 80s and the character wasn't apart of the main cast since the early 90s. I seriously doubt Lisa Trusel would have come back longterm, so it would have made perfect sense to bring Melissa back. Melissa, unlike Eve, also has a natural place on the canvas: she's a Horton, Maggie's daughter, Hope's best friend, Sarah's sister, has a long, complicated history with Jack and Kayla, and could bring a recast Nathan with her. But instead, we get some long lost daughter who only damages character history and then is written out and forgotten. I swear the writers make things a lot more complicated for themselves than it truly has to be.

Thank you for answering my questions JBC344, especially number 7. I watch this show almost daily, but I hadn't realized there was a Horton Center or that Eric was the director. I've also been confused as to whether Brady was still employed with Victor or not. I knew Adrienne bought the Spectator but somehow I was completely oblivious to Jenn buying it with her.I know the show is on a shoestring budget, but it would help if they could build a "work set" and just put different pictures up and rearrange the desks so these jobs could seem more meaningful. Now that you mention it, Eve's reveal was rather anticlimatic, and for me, the Jenn/Eve rivalry seems overblown as Jenn seems like she couldn't care less about Eve. I'm still hopeful that Kassie can bring the fire as Eve because this show needs a longterm villain that is not outright evil. Frankly, I have my doubts that Ron can write such a character as he prefers irredeemable actions with flimsy justification (see Gabi), but the show still needs someone who can serve as a catalyst for drama.

I have a few random questions I don't actually expect anyone to answer: 1. Does Justin ever win a case? 2. Was this the first time Jenn/Eric have been in a scene since their breakup? 3. When did Chloe/Jenn make up after their Dr. Dan rivalry? 4. Was there another Nicole Walker on the show who was an actual good person because the one they spoke of today didn't resemble the one who heartlessly thru proof of rape papers in a fire? 5. Does Chloe ever leave the club? 6. Is the actor who plays J.J. going through...um...something, or is he just aging terribly? 7. What does the majority of the cast do for a living? During the Jenn/Adrienne scene I realized Jenn no longer works at the hospital. I also realize she hasn't worked there for years, but I was still confused to discover she co-owns the paper with Adrienne. On to the show. These past few episodes have reminded me how much I like Jennifer. She has this soft bewilderment about her that makes her quite approachable and likable to me. I also like that the actress stays engaged in scenes even when she's in the background. .When J.J. and Haley walk by her, the actress gives a motherly and approving smile. She's in the background, so it's easy to miss, but it's the type of look I expect a mother to give her son. It was nice to see. I also hope the show keeps Eric/Brady as rivals. So far, this is the best I think both characters have worked, and I really like how they seem to bring out the worse in each other. Seeing Eve dramatically put on her perfume and cape was so old school soapy delightful. Something about it was so dramatic, and I love how the show kept redirecting us as to who this mystery return could be. I usually don't like Kassie's Eve, but I must say I am hopeful for this return. The women all looked gorgeous, but I miss when we could have large casts at villain returns. Speaking of, why did Eli seem so shocked and appalled at Eve's return? He seemed more upset than Jennifer.

I agree with both of you. I also find it quite ironic that Chloe was correct in everything she said and believed about Deimos, to the point of Nicole killing Deimos. Yet, this has never - at least to my knowledge - been mentioned on the show.

Another episode I enjoyed. 1. I am loving the Julie vs Gabi storyline this week. Let me just say that one of the reasons this works so well is because of the years Julie, specifically, has hated Gabi. While the two have had several tiffs, which was usually Julie berating Gabi, it was nice for the years of hostility to finally culminate in this showdown. Julie slapping Gabi, gloating about exposing Gabi's machinations, and Gabi accidentally pushing Julie down the stairs with Julie's death stare at Gabi before she falls into a coma. It was all magnificent soap. I also wonder how this will affect Rope. This is the type of hurdle I would like to see them overcome (or preferably not overcome) and we can completely disregard Ted (who I actually like with Hope) and the Cin drama from those two for awhile. 2. Speaking of, I hope Hope and Ciara go several months without sharing a scene, or at the very least, I hope their next scene actually moves the plot along. I'm bored with: "He killed three women!" "He was sick!" repeated in several rather nonimaginative ways for 40-45 minutes. Can I just say, while motherhood is a very important responsibility and one of the most important things a woman can do - if she chooses to have kids - I abhor storylines that hinge solely on being a mother like Hope's current storyline. Mostly because the character's traits and motivations are usually sidelined and we get several "Because I'm your mother" lines of dialogue in several variations. This storyline has done nothing to examine Hope as a character or Hope's relationship with Ciara. The one - and I do mean one - thing I have liked about this storyline thus far is Hope confiding in Ted that the loss of Zack is what fuels her fear about Cin. If the show could weave that thread more into the storyline and have Hope reexamine her pain and even anger (at Chelsea, Bo and herself), it could at least lead to some character driven decisions that allow Hope to become stronger, more developed character as a result. But since I doubt that will happen, I guess this is what we have. 3. I have a different interpretation to the Sarah/Chloe confrontation today. I think she used Eric and Holly as an excuse to attack Chloe for her personal dislike of Chloe. Hear me out, Chloe is the one who revealed that Lucas was not the father of Baby Bonnie which ultimately led to Rex revealing his affair with Mimi, humiliating Sarah. While Chloe didn't mean to ruin Sarah's engagement, with Rex and Mimi absent, Chloe is now an easy target for Sarah to redirect her anger. I mean I could see Sarah thinking that if it were not for Chloe, she would not be leaving Chicago, her hospital job, her fiance, and Rex would not be with Mimi and their baby right now. I think that's why Sarah jumped at the chance to throw Chloe's actions regarding Nicole and Holly and Chloe's affair with Philip (does Sarah even know Philip) in Chloe's face. I also think this is why she was so gleeful when she told Eric that she knocked Chloe down a peg or two. (or whatever phrasing she used). This, too me, didn't seem like it was wholly for Eric's benefit, but for some personal revenge on Sarah's part. 4. Speaking of Sarah, her relationships with people confuse me. I don't mean familial relationships, but the established dynamics of these relationships and how they seem to contradict. So she has not seen Eric and Sami since they were kids according to her earlier introduction, but she seems to have a pretty good relationship with Kayla. The two are on a first name basis, Kayla seems to know her well enough to offer her a job with no hesitation or even asking for recommendations and Kayla knows her well enough to speak to her about how she's talking to Maggie and connecting with Eric and handling her breakup with Rex. Then, we see her and Will are close enough were they enthusiastically call each other cousins upon seeing each other. She and Daniel apparently had a close enough relationship that she is calling him her brother, but her and Chloe had never met and she doesn't seem that close to Holly. I know a character like Sarah Horton is difficult for writers because it doesn't make sense for Mickey and Maggie's daughter to have no connection to the canvas, but it seems jarring to me that we, the audience, are being treated as if we understand Sarah's relationships with people although they are brand new to us. I wish they could at least establish the relationship she has with characters first before asking to treat these relationships like years long connections when for us, the audience, they are not. 5. Lastly, and this may belong in the unpopular opinions section, but I wish the show would write Kayla and Tripp out. Someone on this board a few pages back said Kayla seemed like a replacement Jennifer. If Jennifer isn't available for a scene, the writers insert Kayla in her place as she serves the same primary function. Honestly, the scene with Sarah underlined that point for me. Without Bo, Kim and a rarely used Roman, Kayla doesn't seem to have much of a place on canvas, except for as doctor which Sarah could easily replace. She also doesn't seem to be anyone's first go to for a conversation on canvas: Jennifer and Hope have each other, Hope also has Rafe, Marlena has John followed by Hope and sometimes Kate. Kayla seems to be a runner up in all of her relationships. With Steve out of jail, the writers should just have her and Tripp go to him and bring in some new characters that are not related to anyone on canvas.

I am still enjoying the quad of Brady, Chloe, Eric and Sarah. So far, everyone seems to have good chemistry with each other and I like the current and soon to be changing dynamics. Something I like about the Holly case is that Eric was instrumental in convincing Chloe to return Holly to Nicole, so for them to now potentially fight for custody of Holly is the type of soapy, melodramatic irony that I love. I've said this before, but it needs to be repeated, I hope the show develops these four into a core aspect of the show. For now, all of the actors are engaged, portraying the material well, and are well connected to the canvas, so there is no need for story isolation. These are characters the show should be writing well, portraying well, and giving great storylines to. I look forward to seeing how this storyline goes. On the other hand, I was thinking about Will/Sonny/Leo today as I watched the Will/Marlena scenes. Will/Marlena are one of my favorite relationships on the show, and I found it hard to stay engaged in their scene today. At first, I thought it was because this was yet another exposition rehash of Will/Sonny's current storyline, but I realized that Will/Chandler Massey has completely checked out of this storyline. He and the actor who plays Sonny are giving this storyline absolutely no life, energy, suspense, investment or even fun. I blamed the writing, and I said if the writers gave the actors better material they would provide better performances. However, as I said with the quad, all the actors are engaged. The Holly storyline isn't the best writing I've ever seen on a soap, but the actors at least seem to be present in the scenes and genuinely reacting to one another. If the actors who play Will/Sonny no longer care, I wish they would leave. I found getting through their scenes absolutely painful in an episode I otherwise enjoyed. Lastly, I hope the show develops Sarah outside of Eric. While I can see myself liking them, I'm still not sure who she is. The actress is good and has had good chemistry with everyone she's shared scenes with, but I hope we get to see her with more Hortons. It sad that Abby is leaving (dodges fruit) because it would be great if we could see a next generation female Horton cousin relationship as strong and well-developed as Melissa/Hope and Hope/Jennifer. Maybe she and J.J. could connect as Ciara feels too young to be a Sarah confidant.

I really, really enjoyed today's episode. Today, I saw something that could only be done on a soap, which is watch a character be honored for literal decades of history. I loved the flashbacks with Doug, Alice and Tom and even hearing Julie dispense advice and give a brief character history to several characters. This is what soaps should be doing, honoring history, honoring family, and watching characters from multiple generations interact about past, present and hopeful future family members. The only thing I would have changed are the characters with Julie. I know Eli is Julie's grandson, but I would not have included him in this tribute. To be fair, I barely pay attention to his scenes, but he seems like a character the show will discard. I wish it could have been Julie and Doug, with Maggie, Jennifer and Hope and finally Abby, J.J., Ciara, and Sarah as those four seem like the future of the Horton clan.This would have been a great way to honor Julie and more importantly the Horton legacy. Speaking of, it's interesting just how much the Hortons have reclaimed the show in the past few years. Yesterday, the Horton women were driving story (Julie, Hope, Jennifer, Abby, Ciara) and today more Hortons are heavily featured (Julie, J.J., Lucas, Will, Eli). It's interesting because just a few years ago it seemed the show was transitioning away from the Hortons and the Bradys were getting more frontburner stories (Kayla, Bo, Stephanie, Max, Sami, Chelsea, the Brady/Dimera feud, the relatively short lived John Brady-Dimera). It's fascinating seeing the Bradys are now being transitioned away as the Hortons return to prominence. I haven't liked a Lucas/Kate scene in more than a decade, but I really enjoyed the one they had today. Maybe because Lucas wasn't screaming and Kate wasn't plotting his latest girlfriend's gruesome murder. They seemed like two people who loved each other in spite of their many flaws today. It was a good note for Lucas to leave on. The Kate/Chloe scene was everything the Gabi/Kate scene was not. Two women, with a long and checkered history, coming together with weight of their shared history while simultaneously continuing to build a new path that is appropriate for their current relationship. These are not friends, nor equals; however, they know each other well enough to anticipate each other's actions, realize when the other needs comfort as opposed to ridicule and momentarily set aside their own feelings to offer the other much needed encouragement. Their scene was strangely sweet. I wish the romance on this show was better written. Eli/Lani and Will/Leo/Sonny are boring.